DISTRIBUTION OF 5 ANTIGENS IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Abstract

A variety of antigens may be detected in the serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence and distribution of 5 antigens in 37 HCC and their relation to each other in a given tumor was examined by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. .alpha.1-Antitrypsin was frequently expressed in HCC (73% of cases), whereas .alpha.-fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen were less common. HBsAg [hepatitis B surface antigen], but not HBcAg [hepatitis B core antigen], was observed in tumor cells in 7 of 9 HCC from HBsAg-positive patients. In 20 HCC (54%), 2 or more antigens, most frequently .alpha.1-antitrypsin and .alpha.-fetoprotein, were detected. Double staining for simultaneous localization of 2 antigens in the same tissue section revealed that different antigens were usually present in different tumor cells, although some cells displayed 2 antigens simultaneously. Hepatocellular carcinoma cells are apparently functionally heterogeneous, even if they appear histologically monomorphic.